The Portland daily press., 1887-10-14
A PUT UP JOB.
What Cromwell Says of Young Stain
and His Confession

yesterday noon David L.. Sgaln, the mar
who is alleged to have struck John w. Bar
ron the fatal blows with the slung shot in
Dexter Savings bank building nine years
ago, and Oliver Smith, alias Cromwell, who
is alleged to have sprung forward with the
moose and choked the struggling and daZed
cashier, were Icarried through Portland on
their way to Dexter. One of them was
handcuffed to Sheriff Mitchell, the other to
Morrill, Goddard, the New York World re-
porter. who had been appointed deputy
sheriff during the investigations which led
up to the arrest. Stain, who was with Sher-
iff Mitchell was not at all communicative
Cromwell was very. Neither of the men at
first sight looked like desperate characters.
Stain, whose record is said to be so unutter-
ably bad was rather the better looking of the
two. A dyed mustache was the only feature
that one seeing him in crowd of laborers
would have especially noticed. Oliver
Cromwell was, at first sight. as ordinary
looking as Stain, but if Stains countenance
developes SO unpromlsingly in conversation
as dld CromwelPs, the two may be set down
as ht objects OF suspicion. Yet it must be
admitted that the topic of the conversation
between Cromwell and the PRESS reporter
was not the plasantest that could be imag-
lned for the former. Cromwell is considera-
bly, past middle life, with hair that has not
gone beyond the grizzly stage in getting gray.
An old cloth cap covered his head and fore
head, and left barely space for deep set
brown eyes to look out from overhanging
eyebrows. A straight short nose and square
chin completed countenance that suggested
more of courage or ugliness than is indica-
ted by Stains less firmly cut features.
CromwelPs voice. too, is harsh, and it de-
veloped into a surly sDarl when he gave to
the PRESS reporter his opinion of young
Charles +. Stain, who has made the confess
sion duplicating the elder Stain and Crom-
well.
"a little half-witted fool, he is. Some
body has put him up to this. Somebody has
made the whole story up and then got him to
make confession. He is little fool and
what he says is not worth anything"
What reason would young Stain have for
making up such story about his own faith
er?" asked the reporter.
''Oh he expected to get some money out OF
it some way. One of his grandparents had
some money, which young Stain hoped to
his, the son of an aunt of this Frank Stain
This aunt was murdered in Boston a few
years ago. He thought that in some way by
telling this story on the old man he could
make raise"
This theory that young Stain made the
confessionias amoney-making scheme wasIan
hypothesis upon which Cromwell dwelt at
great length and with evident satisfaction.
When asked how this squared with his other
hypothesis that young Stain is a half
witted" fool. he readily attributed the young
mans alleged craftiness to the good officers
of a third party or several parties. Young
Stains wife, in Cromwell's opinion, might
have put up the job; or possibly it might
have been the work of the elder Stain.
Isn't the older Stain too smart 10 put the
young fellow up to confession that would
surely get himself into trouble?" was asked
at this suggestion.
TOO smart! the old man is smart enough
at those things, that he is in," said Crom-
well, with knowing look towards Stain,
who was handcuffed to Sheriff Mitchell in
the second seat ahead.
What do you mean by I'those things?'"
''Uh, lying, cheating, deceiving; the old
man is good at such things"
This was fair sample of Cromwell's talk.
He denied that any of them implicated in
the confession ever had anything to do with
the bank robbery, but he did not do this for
any love for either of the Stains, one of
whom he considered fool. the other liar
His theory that young Stain made the con-
fession for money he did not substantiate
with good reasons, but when pressed for
such was liable to wander off to other fea-
lures of the case. With the geography of
Dexter and the Ken aebec valley he was well
acquainted, correcting his companions in
several particulars Cromwell was also very
sensitive, expressing a wish to keep from the
sight OF the curious crowds. At dinner he
ate little or nothing, and seemed much dis
turbed.